


The Wine, Not the Label

by PurplePlatypusBear21



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Blow Jobs, Cunnilingus, Dry Sex, F/M, Friendship, Humor, Porn With Plot, Porn with Feelings, Romance, Sokka may not be as gay as he thought, Sokkla, Sokkla Saturday, Straight Thoughts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:08:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 19,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26794153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PurplePlatypusBear21/pseuds/PurplePlatypusBear21
Summary: “You’re sure you’re gay, right?” Azula asked with hopeful skepticism.  “Yeah…” Sokka replied, the upward inflection of his voice betraying his uncertainty.  “Then why are you staring at me like that?”  Sokkla Saturdays 2020.  Azula x Sokka.  The story of straight thoughts.
Relationships: Azula/Sokka (Avatar)
Comments: 91
Kudos: 114





	1. Bodyguard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko informs Azula that Sokka will be taking on a temporary role as her personal bodyguard. Azula doesn’t take kindly to the news.

"You're kidding, right?"

Zuko looked down nervously.

"Tell me you're joking."

"It's for your own good!"

The princess rolled her eyes, dipping her head back with exasperation. "I don't need a babysitter!"

"A bodyguard is hardly a babysitter, Azula." He lowered his voice, trying his best to reason with his irritated sister. "It doesn't have to be a big – "

"Why are you doing this to me?" she interrupted, staring intently into the Fire Lord's eyes. "Are you _trying_ to make me feel even more like a prisoner in this Spiritsforsaken palace than I already do?"

"Well, you _are_ on house arrest…"

She chose to ignore his valid point. "I mean seriously Zuko, isn't it bad enough Mother has taken it upon herself to babysit _every_ single little interaction I have with Kiyi? And to top it all off, I'm not even allowed to go outdoors!"

Zuko sighed with frustration. "You _did_ set Kiyi's doll on fire – "

"Yeah, well, Adori had some very unladylike things to say!"

" – which, by the way, is exactly the reason why you lost outdoor privileges."

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she tried to cool down a bit. "Why _him_?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow.

"Why Sokka of all people?"

"Why not?" he shrugged. "You don't think he's a skilled fighter?"

"He is, but it just doesn't make any sense, Zuzu. You _know_ I'd kick his sorry Water Tribe butt in a fight any day – how can you expect _him_ to protect _me_?"

"Just think of him as a first line of defense. Or a human shield. Besides, it's only temporary until we can get some more reinforcements."

"I don't see why we need any guards at all. We can handle ourselves."

"We all need to sleep sometimes, Azula. I've already suffered several assassination attempts since becoming Fire Lord, and to be perfectly blunt, you're a bit more of a controversial figure than I am."

The princess opened her mouth to interject, but her brother kept talking.

"People aren't exactly thrilled you're back in the palace. They think we were too lenient with you. And with the Kyoshi Warriors leaving to help settle the conflict between the sister tribes, we're going to need all the help we can get."

"But why isn't Sokka going with them? The conflict is far more pertinent to him after all."

"Things are still pretty awkward between him and Suki. Their breakup wasn't exactly the cleanest…"

Azula sighed with defeat, plopping down on the foot of her mattress. "I really don't have a say in the matter, do I?"

Zuko shook his head. "I'm afraid this is nonnegotiable."

"Fine," she muttered.

Zuko gave her a sympathetic smile.

She met his smile with a wry smirk. "But don't expect me to make things easy for him."

* * *

Sokka felt mildly apprehensive on his way over to the Fire Nation palace, though he was determined to put on a brave face and show no fear. He knew any sign of weakness would not be acceptable in the fierce eyes of the firebending prodigy. If he was going to be an effective bodyguard, he would need to learn to trust her, or at the very least tolerate her, as well as gain her trust. A challenging feat indeed.

By the time he got to the palace and finished dining and schmoozing with his buddy Zuko, Azula was in her chambers having some tea before bed. After a deep breath and a mental pep talk, he confidently knocked on her door.

She answered in a burgundy and gold sleeping robe, steaming teacup in hand. "Why, has the water boy finally come to grace me with his noble presence?"

"Good to see you too, Azula. It's, uh, been a while." His voice cracked a bit at the end, chipping away the façade of bravado. Sokka didn't anticipate feeling this nervous around her.

"It most certainly has." She took a slow sip of her tea, purposely not contributing to the conversation to make him sweat.

"So…" He smiled uneasily. "How've you been?"

"Just peachy," she said dryly.

"Okay…"

She held his gaze while maintaining the silence, loving the discomforting effect she was having on him.

"Wha – Whatchya been up to?"

"Oh you know, a little of this, a little of that," she hummed innocently before abruptly changing her saccharine tone. "If you haven't noticed I've been kept under house arrest the past few months, where my dear brother, the almighty Edge Lord himself, has recently decreed that getting to feel the sun on my face is too great a luxury, what do you _think_ I've been up to?!"

He shifted his eyes toward the floor. "Right…"

"What are you hoping to achieve here, Sokka? Do you really want to stand here engaging in meaningless small talk? Do you really think you can charm your way into some sort of friendship?"

"Well – "

"Shall I just invite you into my room right now so we can give each other makeovers and gab about our schoolgirl crushes?"

"Actually that sounds delightful," he managed to squeak out.

"Look, Sokka. Let's just cut to the chase." She took a step closer, making direct eye contact with him. "I neither want nor need a bodyguard, and you don't want to be here. So let's just agree to – "

"I want to be here."

She paused, squinting her eyes with distrust. "Why? Why did you agree to this?"

"Why do you think?"

"As a favor to Zuko."

"Well, that's part of it. But… I also felt like I owed it to you. Along with an apology."

Azula stared at him, unsure if she should believe her ears. "Go on…"

"You saved my life once. When we were looking for your mother and we got attacked by those vines – "

"Yes, I recall."

"– and even after that, I failed to give you the benefit of the doubt when you dropped that incriminating letter about Zuko's legitimacy as the rightful heir. Aang said you dropped it on purpose and I disagreed, but now that I've learned how you singlehandedly took down the New Ozai Society and turned Zuko into a hero, albeit with questionable methods, I can see that you've changed. And I'm sorry for doubting you."

She was quiet for a moment as she contemplated his words, surprised and a bit offput by how much sentiment they were invoking. "I knew there was a reason why your friends consider you the smart one of the group."

He chuckled, smiling softly at her. "So do you think we can put the past behind us and move on?"

"We'll see," she said with a playful smirk.

Sokka took this as a win, recognizing that this was as good of an answer as he could get.

"Well, this princess needs her beauty rest, so if you don't mind…"

"By all means," he tipped his head down as a gesture of respect. "Sleep well, Azula."

She smiled politely at him before closing the door behind her.

Sokka leaned his back against the door, sighing with relief. He felt confident for the first time in a long while, believing that they had gotten off on the right foot. Being the night owl-bat that he was, he paced the hallway several times until the fatigue from his travel became too overpowering. Then he sat down next to Azula's door and closed his eyes. Having once been a fairly sound sleeper, Sokka had trained himself to become more sensitive to the sounds around him as he prepared to be the princess's bodyguard. He was sure he'd wake up in a flash if something threatening were to happen.

Night came and went without a hitch. Sokka awoke feeling fully rested. But something was off. Azula's bedroom door was still closed, and he was positive she hadn't left her room. He knew she was early to rise and had expected to wake up to the sound of her door opening. Something definitely wasn't right. He knocked on her door. No answer. "Azula?" he called. No answer. He threw open her door with urgency, the color in his face draining at the sight.

Azula was gone.


	2. "As if THAT would happen"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka finds the missing princess, however, it seems someone else has found her first. After Azula realizes that Sokka has her back, the seeds of friendship are sewn.

"Well shit," Sokka muttered upon learning of Azula's disappearance. First night on the job, and somehow he had already managed to lose the princess. The initial panic wasn't long-lasting, however. Upon a quick investigation of Azula's bedroom, and an outburst or two over forgetting to pack his detective getup, Sokka came to the conclusion that Azula was probably still in or around the palace somewhere. Her room was tidy; no sign of a scuffle. Her belongings seemed to be in place; no obvious evidence of a runaway. The window that led to her balcony was ajar. "She's outside," Sokka thought, "but where?"

It made sense that she'd be outside. Sokka remembered something about her complaining that she didn't get to feel the sun on her face. He thought she was just being melodramatic, but now he got the better sense that this was a legitimate problem.

It didn't take him too long to find her. However, much to his chagrin, it appeared that Zuko had found her first. And from the look of it, he found her some time ago. The fire siblings were in stage four of their fight: mockery. Stage five would be an all-out brawl. Sokka would have to interfere before it got that far, but for now, he decided to hide behind a tree and watch.

"I'm Zuko, the _Crier_ Lord," Azula childishly taunted, "and I wet the bed until I was eight!"

"Well I'm Azula, and I'd punt a koala-sheep across a field if I thought it would please Daddy!" Zuko jeered right back.

"I'm Zuko and half my face looks like someone tried to iron a leather couch!"

"I'm Azula and I literally have no friends!"

"Yeah? Well I'm Zuko and I'm about to have my ass seriously beaten by my little sister!"

"Bring it on!" Zuko shouted as he got into a fighting stance.

"You're going down!" Azula squared off with him, bending her knees slightly and pulling her dominant arm back with her index and middle finger extended toward her opponent.

Electricity was sparking at her fingertips when Sokka decided to cut in.

"Okay, okay, that's it!" Sokka placed himself between the siblings. "Nobody's going down on anyone."

"Phrasing, Sokka!" Zuko cried, his face coiling with disgust.

Azula looked equally as disturbed.

"Yeah, I hear it now," Sokka said, almost laughing. "Well at least it stopped your fight."

"You should be thanking Sokka for saving your life, Zuzu," Azula shot at her brother.

" _Thanking_ Sokka?" Zuko asked sardonically. "How about asking him where in Agni's name he's been?" He turned toward his Water Tribe friend. "You were _supposed_ to be watching her!"

"I knew it!" Azula interjected. "You hired him to babysit me! You just admitted – "

" _Guarding_ ," the Fire Lord corrected himself. "You were supposed to be guarding her."

The princess rolled her eyes.

"And I was!" Sokka lied, trying to think fast on his feet. "I just ran back inside to, uh, use the bathroom."

Zuko looked skeptical. "I've been out here for like fifteen minutes…"

"Yeah… the Fire Nation meat from last night didn't exactly agree with me." Sokka placed a hand on his stomach. "I could paint you a picture if you'd like, though I'd only need one color for that – "

"No, no." Zuko shook his head. "That won't be necessary."

Azula snickered.

"Well, either way, she's not allowed to go outside," the Fire Lord continued. "We've been over this."

"I know, but… it's a beautiful day. She's not harming anyone – she just wanted to sunbathe a bit. And besides, don't you think it's a little cruel to keep a firebender inside all day?"

"She's under house arrest! This isn't supposed to be a vacation!" Zuko barked before calming down a bit. "But… I guess I see your point."

"So can she stay outside as long as I'm watching – I, err, uh, guarding her?" Sokka asked, his voice pleading.

"Fine," Zuko acquiesced. "But really _guard_ her, I mean it."

Azula groaned.

"I will, I will. I won't let her set fire to the flowers or anything, I promise."

"Good. Because she's done that before." Still grumpy, Zuko walked off.

Azula lay down on a sunny spot on the grass, using her elbows to prop herself up.

Sokka stood over her. "So?"

"So…?"

"Isn't there something you'd like to say to me?"

"Like what?" Azula feigned innocence.

"Oh, I don't know, like an _apology_ for running off like that and getting me into trouble!"

"An apology?!" she laughed. "As if _that_ would happen!"

"Okay then, maybe next time I won't have your back," Sokka threatened.

The firebender released an exasperated sigh, turning her attention toward him. "Thank you, Sokka," she said begrudgingly.

"For what?" He smiled mischievously at her.

"For standing up for me."

It wasn't an apology, but it was good enough for Sokka. "See? Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

She flashed him a fake smile. "You're in my sunlight."

"Oh!" Realizing that he was in fact blocking the sun, he took a seat on the grass next to her and watched the clouds float by.

* * *

Days passed without any drama or disturbances. Sokka would even say that he and Azula had established somewhat of a friendly rapport. But just as soon as he started to let his guard down around her, she had to go and test his boundaries once again. It shouldn't have come as a surprise.

"What are you doing in my room, Azula?" Sokka had followed the princess into the guest room where he watched her ransack his belongings.

"Ah! This will do," the princess smiled, holding up one of his casual Fire Nation shirts to her body. "Just needs a belt…"

"Why are you stealing my clothes?"

"I'm not stealing, silly. I'm going to return them just as soon as we're back."

"Back from…?"

"Turn around. I'm getting changed."

Sighing, he obeyed her command, not because he was taking her orders but because she started disrobing, leaving him no choice but to shield his eyes. "Where exactly do you think you're going in my clothing, hm?"

"You're going to take me shopping!"

"You can't be serious," he said, instinctively turning around to shut down this ludicrous idea only to be reprimanded.

"Eyes _shut_ , peasant!"

He spun back around, his cheeks a tad flushed despite not having seen much. "New rule. You're not allowed to call me 'peasant' anymore."

"Oh? And who's going to stop me?"

"I don't know about that," he laughed, "but I _can_ stop this shopping spree you think is going to happen, which, by the way, it isn't."

"You can turn around now."

He turned back to Azula, seeing that she had fashioned one of his shirts into a dress.

"How do I look? Cute, right?"

"Very," he said dryly, though he was surprised at how beautiful she looked wearing his clothes.

"Just need to do my hair, then I'm ready to go."

"You're out of your mind if you think I'm letting you leave this palace."

"Come on, Sokka. It's not like anyone will recognize me – "

"But what about Zuko?"

"He's in meetings all day. He won't even notice we're gone."

"But… but…" Not only was Sokka running out of excuses, but going shopping actually sounded kind of fun.

"Don't make me beg now," she purred.

If Sokka hadn't known better, he'd have thought she was flirting with him. Of course, he knew that she was really just trying to manipulate him. "I wouldn't mind hearing you beg, princess."

"Please, Sokka?" she beseeched, giving him sad puppy-cat eyes. "I'll buy you something pretty…"

"Fine. But let's make it snappy. We can't risk getting caught."

"Yay!" she cheered, giving Sokka a very uncharacteristic hug.

He hugged her back, tentatively from the shock of it, but then he realized that this shopping trip probably meant a lot to her. It would be the first time she was out of imprisonment in a very long time. He wanted to make sure she had a good day.

* * *

Following a successful shopping outing, where Azula bought herself a dress, some jewelry, and a hair ornament, as well as a new bag for her bodyguard, she convinced Sokka to have some bubble tea with her before heading back to the palace. It didn't take a lot to convince him as Sokka was quite hungry himself and itching for a snack.

Sokka insisted Azula wait at the table while he ordered their food and drink at the front to minimize the chance of the princess being recognized. A few minutes later, a handsome server brought them their order: a pomegranate bubble tea for the firebender and some pork bao buns for the swordsman.

It was when the server was walking away that Azula noticed something interesting. Sokka's eyes lingered on the young man as he moved on to the next table. Her mouth went agape and then her lips curled into a smirk.

"Were you just checking him out?!" Azula whispered.

"What, no!" Sokka denied reflexively.

She eyed him suspiciously.

"Okay, yeah maybe a little," he admitted. "Did Zuko not tell you…?"

"Zuzu never tells me anything."

"Oh, well… yeah so I'm gay. That's not gonna be a problem, is it? You look disappointed."

"I-I'm not – why would I be disappointed?" she stammered.

"You tell me," he laughed. "The ladies do find me irresistible…"

Azula scoffed. "So I'm guessing this revelation of yours had something to do with your breakup with the Kyoshi warrior girl?"

"Yeah that… didn't end well."

"She wasn't accepting? I'm surprised."

"No, it wasn't like that. It was more the way I told her…"

"Ooh, now _this_ I need to hear." She leaned back in her seat and took a sip of her tea.

"Oh yeah? You want the hot gossip?"

"Mmhmm."

"Okay." Sokka liked that she was taking an interest in his life. "When I met Suki all those years ago, I was drawn to her. I was attracted to her strength, bravery, and compassion. I thought that meant that I _liked_ her, since, you know, boys are expected to like girls. Anyway, we kissed and stuff, which was okay, no fireworks or anything, but when we decided to go a little further, that's when things started to feel off for me."

"Okay…"

"There was this one night when Suki was supposed to spend the night in my tent and we were gonna… you know. I was nervous, _very_ nervous, but then, instead of Suki coming into my tent, Zuko came in instead."

"Ew! You and my brother didn't – "

"No, no, no," Sokka laughed. "No, we're just friends."

"Thank the Spirits."

"But when I saw it was Zuko and not Suki, part of me was, well… relieved. And then when Suki did eventually find her way to my tent, I told her that Zuko ruined the mood for me and it was too risky to do stuff around the group. So we decided to wait until after the war."

"And then the war ended…"

"Yeah, and I started finding excuses not to see her, which was pretty easy since she became your brother's bodyguard and I had no pressing reasons to be in the Fire Nation. But eventually, Suki and I did find some alone time, alone time in a bedroom. And we started fooling around, and well… let's just say Sokka junior did not rise to the occasion."

Azula tried and failed to stifle a laugh.

"As soon as she got completely naked, I looked at her and said, 'Yeah, I'm gay.' It wasn't the most delicate way of putting things…"

"That's for sure! She must have been humiliated."

"I know." Sokka looked down with guilt. "I feel awful about it. No wonder she hates me."

"She'll get over it."

"I hope so."

"At least you're out now," Azula shrugged. "You don't have to hide anything anymore."

"True." Sokka chuckled. "In retrospect, I should have known I was into dudes."

"Oh?"

"There was this one time when Aang, Katara, and I were traveling through the Earth Kingdom and we ran into this rugged, rebellious boy who flirted with my sister. I got really upset, I _thought_ because I knew he was manipulating her, and that was certainly part of it, but I think I really just wanted him to be flirting with me instead."

"Yeah, that's pretty gay," Azula snickered. "So… have you had any… boyfriends?"

"Boyfriends, no. Hookups yes. Lots." He gave her a sly smile. "And now every time I see a hot guy, I just think about how much I want him to dick me down."

Azula's face grew hot.

"You're blushing, princess."

"I-I am not! It's j-just the tea warming me up."

"Your tea is iced…"

"Okay, fine. It's just…" She sighed. "I've never really had anyone to talk to about this sort of stuff before."

"Sex stuff?"

"Yeah…"

"What about Mai and Ty Lee?"

"We didn't really talk about that when we were younger, and they're hardly my friends now. It still feels forced with Ty Lee and Mai can barely look me in the eye."

"Well to be fair, Mai barely looks anyone in the eye."

"This is true." She smiled, resting her arms down on the table. "I guess… I'm glad that, and I'll deny it if you ever repeat this to anyone, I'm glad that I finally have someone to talk to… someone I trust."

"Hey, me too," Sokka said, returning the soft smile and placing a hand on top of hers across the table. "I never thought I'd say this, but… I'm glad we're friends."

Azula's blush grew deeper.


	3. Touch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Azula and Sokka share a drunken, mochi-filled evening together, their relationship takes an unexpected turn.

Azula and Sokka had successfully managed to sneak back to the palace from another one of their clandestine outings when the princess suddenly stopped in the corridor near the kitchen.

She inhaled deeply through her nose. "Mmm, do you smell that?"

Sokka took a deep breath. The air smelled sweet. "Yeah, what is that?"

"Mochi," she smiled, "my favorite."

"Oh, I've never had – "

"Of course," she interrupted, her face falling into her usual annoyed state, "the royal chef isn't making them for me. They're for _Kiyi_." She scowled. "Apparently mochi is her favorite dessert too."

"Well I'm sure the chef wouldn't mind parting with one or two…"

"Except that he's under strict orders from my good-for-nothing brother not to serve me any sweets, since you know, living here is supposed to be a punishment."

"Again, you _are_ under house arrest." Sokka had had to remind the firebender of this many times.

She shot him a dirty look.

"Then again, I don't see why you couldn't have _one_ sweet…"

"Thank you!" Looking up into the corner, she placed a hand under her chin as a mischievous grin spread across her cheeks.

"Uh oh. I recognize that look. What are you thinking?"

"Isn't it obvious?" she asked, staring boldly into his eyes. "Let's take them!"

"Azula," Sokka sighed, "we _can't_ do that."

"Why not? What's the worst that could happen?"

"The chef rats us out to Zuko and we both get in trouble? Also stealing while you're already under house arrest is… probably not good?"

"Please," Azula said dismissively. "The chef knows way better than to rat me out. After all, there could be dire consequences for such actions…"

Sokka raised a finger to interject but failed to get any words out.

"No, let me tell you what's going to happen," the princess continued. "A servant will come to pick up the mochi, and when it's not there, the chef will simply make another tray. Everybody wins."

"Okay, but… how would we steal the mochi undetected?"

"Easy. I'll distract the kitchen staff and you'll grab the tray. Then we'll both meet in my room, okay ready?"

"Azula, no – "

"Three, two, one, GO!"

* * *

Azula was confident in Sokka's ability to follow through with her whimsical plan. She could already taste the delicious sweet rice cakes on her lips as she made her way to her room.

"You got the goods?" she sang, closing the bedroom doors behind her.

Sokka was seated on the carpet with the tray of mochi set out in front of him. "What does it look like?"

"Success," she answered, joining her partner in crime on the floor. She grabbed a mochi and bit into the squishy, sugary cake. "Mmmmm."

"Is it as good as you remember?"

"Even better." A satisfied smile lay claim to her face. "You can have one if you'd like."

"Really?" he laughed. "I'm honored you'd share your favorite dessert with me, princess."

"You can't expect me to eat _all_ of these now, can you?"

He shrugged and took a mochi. "Wow," he mumbled through a mouthful of the dessert, "these _are_ good."

"What did I tell you, hm?"

He grinned. "And I managed to snag a little something extra to make our haul just a tad sweeter…"

"Oh?"

He reached behind his back and pulled out a bottle and two shot glasses.

She raised an eyebrow. "Sake?"

"What better to go with rice cakes than some rice wine?" He noticed she didn't look too enthusiastic about the alcohol. "Do you drink?"

"I've had a few tastes here and there, but never to excess…"

"In that case, care to have a little fun?" He poured her a shot. "Don't worry, I'll make sure things don't get too out of hand."

"Why not? It's about time I live a little."

He poured himself a shot and held up his glass. "Cheers to that."

She clinked her glass to his and downed her drink. "Hey… shall we raise the stakes a bit?" she challenged.

"I like the sound of that. Whatchya have in mind?"

"There's this game we used to play back at the Royal Fire Academy for Girls called 'truth or dare'. It's played exactly how it sounds."

"And where does the drinking come in?"

"Let's say you can avoid doing a dare or telling the truth by taking a shot."

"Sounds fun," he smiled. "So how does it start?"

"Ask me 'truth or dare'."

"Okay… truth or dare."

"Dare. Now you get to dare me to do something."

"Anything?" He flashed her a wolfish grin.

"Anything."

"Okay." He paused. "I'll start off easy on you. I dare you to make up a poem about me. A haiku."

"Child's play," she replied confidently. "Let's see…" She cleared her throat. "Blue-eyed bodyguard, appointed to protect me, no good at his job."

"Hey! I haven't gotten you killed or anything!"

"Yet," she laughed. "Okay, it's your turn. Truth or dare?"

"I'm afraid of your dares, so truth."

"Okay…" she smirked. "Who would you rather walk in on: Aang and Katara or Hakoda and his girlfriend?"

"Ew! Neither, that's gross!"

"You have to answer. Or take a shot."

"Well, funny story. Katara and I did kind of walk in on our dad and Malina once."

Azula's eyes widened.

"They were just kissing, but still, that was enough for me. Anyway, I guess I'd pick my dad and Malina." He scowled. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Are you always going to pick dare?"

"No…"

"I'll make sure of that," he teased. "I dare you to go find Zuko, give him a big hug, and tell him you love him."

Azula's face coiled in disgust. "Over my dead body!"

"Then drink up."

The firebender took a shot. "I'm going to need about ten more of those to clear my mind of that thought."

"By all means." He gestured to the bottle of sake.

She gave him a playful glare. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"That wedding speech you're working on for Aang and Katara's upcoming nuptials…" she sneered.

"Oh no…"

"Oh yes. I dare you to throw the word 'diarrhea' somewhere into it."

"That's it?" he laughed. "I hate to break it to you, princess, but it's already in there. I have this hilarious anecdote about Katara and some bad sea prunes I was going to share – "

"I'll have to hear it for myself," she grumbled, "except that, oh right, I'm not invited."

"Sure you are. You can be my plus one." He winked at her.

Her cheeks reddened. "Are you serious? You wouldn't want that, nobody would want that."

"It would be fun," he assured.

"If you say so…"

"I do! And you know what else I say?"

She raised an eyebrow.

"Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Okay, this one's an easy one. Can't let you drink too much too fast after all."

She waited for him to continue.

"If you could be any other kind of bender, what would it be?" he asked.

"That _is_ easy. I'd be a waterbender."

"No way! I thought for sure you'd say earth. Why water?"

"Bloodbending," she said with a twisted smile.

"Ah. I should have known. And now I'm kinda glad you're not a waterbender…"

"Truth or dare?"

"Dare. Bring it on."

Her twisted smile grew. "I dare you to streak naked through the palace."

"You underestimate me, princess," he snickered, pulling his shirt up over his head.

Azula's eyes instinctively raked up and down his bronze chest. She bit down on her bottom lip until she realized she was staring.

"Wait, you know what?" He frowned. "As fun as that sounds, I don't think I can do that with Kiyi wandering around somewhere. I don't want to end up in prison. Or house arrest."

"Hah, hah. Very funny."

He took a shot of sake instead. "Okay, your turn. Truth or dare?"

* * *

The game continued late into the night. With the alcohol progressively filling their veins, decreasing their inhibitions with every shot, the challenges and questions became more and more personal and intimate.

"I dare you to…" Azula slurred with an innocent smile, "…give me a massage."

Sokka laughed. "That sounds more like a favor than a dare."

"Perhaps." She sulked. "But Zuzu prohibited me from the royal spa, and it's been sooo long."

"Fine," he sighed dramatically although he didn't mind giving the firebender a back rub.

"Yay," she cheered, turning her back toward him.

"Why don't you lie down on the bed?"

"Now there's an idea." She stumbled over to her bed and flopped down ungracefully on the mattress on her stomach.

He dragged himself up onto the bed and straddled the small of the princess's back. Then he began to work his magic, firmly kneading her shoulders.

"Ohhh," she groaned. "You're surprisingly good at this."

He smiled. "I… I don't mean to cross any boundaries, but I think you'd feel a lot more comfortable without all these clothes on."

Azula nearly choked. "A-Are you suggesting I disrobe, water boy?"

"N-No, I just meant you could change into your pajamas or something. I won't look, I swear."

She thought for a moment. "Okay…" She rolled out from beneath him and sauntered clumsily to the other side of her room to slip into her sleep robe.

Sokka wasn't sure what was coming over him, perhaps it was the alcohol, but he did feel some temptation to peek. However, he knew far better than to test his luck.

She made her way back over to the bed and retook to her position on her stomach. "You may resume."

He continued applying pressure to her back, getting an odd kick out of the little sighs and moans of pleasure she emitted.

Despite the calming effect of the massage, Azula's mind was racing. How could it not with an attractive shirtless man sitting on top of her, running his warm, strong hands up and down her back? In her head, he was touching her in other places too. Her legs, her chest, her… She knew deep down these unsavory thoughts were useless. She had no delusions of being Sokka's type. Maybe that was why it was easy for her to get carried away in the daydream, knowing full well that her fantasy would never happen.

"Azula?" he whispered. "Do you want to continue the game?"

The distraction was welcome. She had to get these thoughts out of her head. "S-Sure."

"Okay. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"Have you… have you ever had a sex dream about someone I know?"

For a second she thought Sokka could read her mind. "I'm _not_ answering that." Frustrated for several reasons, she slid out from underneath him and rolled onto her back.

"Well I don't think I could in good faith let you drink any more," he chuckled, laying down next to her. "Besides, I think your response already answered my question."

"You can think whatever you'd like."

"Oh, I will," he teased, looking into her yellow eyes.

It was quiet for a moment.

She stared back at him. His face was so close to hers. She never had another boy in her bed before, and even knowing full well that nothing was going to happen, she felt her heartrate steadily climb and her cheeks flush. "I have one more for you. Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

She paused. "You're sure you're gay, right?" Azula asked with hopeful skepticism.

"Yeah…" Sokka replied, the upward inflection of his voice betraying his uncertainty.

"Then… why are you staring at me like that?"

His mind was blank and yet words were spilling from his mouth. "I don't think I know what you mean, princess," he lied, his lips just a breath away from hers.

"Oh." She kept her eyes locked on his. "Must be my mistake."

"Yeah," he breathed, his eyes flickering from her lips back to her eyes. "Must be." Without thinking, acting entirely on impulse, he closed his eyes and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her fiercely.

Azula couldn't believe this was actually happening, that perhaps the alcohol was playing some dirty trick on her. But the longer their lips touched and the more aggressive his kisses became, the more she didn't care if this was real or not. Giving in to the moment, she raked her fingers through his hair and pulled him closer.

Sokka's mind was blank. He never felt this spark, this _fire_ before with a woman, but it didn't matter to him. He loved the feeling of her mouth on his, the sweetness of her lips, her scent, the way she made him feel desirable, like he was the only man on earth. Consequences would have to wait for another day. He just wanted to do more and more and more. He rolled on top of her, the animalistic part of his brain completely taking the reins.

She moaned softly into his mouth, loving how vulnerable she felt underneath his full weight. He could do anything he wanted to her and she'd let him. She kissed him feverishly, slipping her tongue into his mouth, her nerve endings ablaze as she felt his excitement grow, pressing into her upper thigh.

He rubbed himself against her leg, greedily pushing his hips into her, his attention solely on the pleasure and the beautiful woman beneath him. As his heartrate climbed and his breaths became more strained, the fabric of his clothes felt progressively more cumbersome. It seemed Azula agreed, as she was tugging urgently on the hem of his pants. He wasted no time, momentarily breaking their connection to shed the burdensome garment before resuming his position on top of her. He groaned as she spread her legs to both sides of him to strengthen their connection.

Her hips jolted up to meet his as his erection slid up and down between her legs over her underwear. She never felt anything like this before, so manic and euphoric, completely out of control. The pleasure building inside of her felt like she was going to lightning bend out of all her extremities. "Harder," she gasped, pressing down on his lower back to drive his hips down even farther.

He thrust himself against her, desperately and hungrily, waves of pleasure building steadily in his groin with every push of his hips. Curiosity soon overtook his body as he explored her curves, bringing a hand up her waistline to her breast where he cupped and squeezed the perfect handful. Feeling her breathing hitch at the sensation, he brought his mouth down to her neck and began lapping at the sensitive skin with his tongue, making sure she was fully inundated with pleasure.

"Oh Spirits, Sokka _more_ ," she begged through ragged breaths, digging her nails into his skin. The feeling of his wet tongue against her skin was unraveling her. The thrusts of her hips against his stiffened manhood picked up even faster, becoming more and more erratic as she neared her climax.

Feeling her impending orgasm, he aggressively hiked up her silky sleep robe and drove himself against her mercilessly, forcing her to surrender all control to him. He felt her tense up around him, squeezing him so tightly before she dug her palms into the small of his back and moaned out in sheer ecstasy. With just a few more needy thrusts of his hips, he shot his load into the confines of his underwear and exhaled with relief, his heart pounding in his chest. He collapsed next to her in a dizzy whirl.

Too drunk and exhausted to even clean up, the two lay on their backs panting until their breathing calmed to a peaceful state.

"Azula… should we talk – " Sokka looked over at the firebender, but she was already fast asleep. He laughed to himself with a soft smile on his lips. "Good night, princess."


	4. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula and Sokka, both horribly hungover, wake up with very confusing feelings about what happened the night before. Azula finds comfort in Ty Lee and Mai, while Sokka gets advice from Zuko.

The way Azula felt when she woke up almost made her wish she hadn't woken up at all. However, despite how much her head hurt and her crippling lack of energy, it was nice to wake up wrapped up in Sokka's arms… and then everything hit her all at once.

" _Why is Sokka cuddling me? Why is he in my bed? Where are his clothes?! Where are my clothes?! WHAT IN AGNI'S NAME HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!"_ She began striking his chest. "Wake! Up! Wake! Up! Wake! Up!" she shouted between hits.

"Ow, ow, OW!" he cried, "Why all the violence?!"

"I'd hit you harder if I weren't so hungover!"

"Yeah, about that… Could you please lower your voice?" He brought a hand up to his head. "It feels like I've been run over by a pack of wild saber-tooth moose lions."

She brought the level of her yelling down to a shout-whisper. "What did you do to me last night?!"

"What did _I_ do to _you_?! Why are you making it seem like this is all _my_ fault?"

"You're supposed to protect me, _not_ get me drunk and seduce me, water boy!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, back up a second. If I recall, and yes my memory may be a bit hazy, but you seemed to enjoy what we did last night, princess – "

She tried to cut him off, but unsuccessfully so.

" – and if anyone seduced anyone, _you_ seduced _me_!"

She glared at him. "Explain yourself."

"Well if I haven't made it perfectly clear, I've never historically been into the female form, so – "

"Which begs the question," she interrupted, "why would you hook up with me?!"

"I – "

"I don't look like a man, do I?"

"Of course not – "

"I can't exactly 'dick you down' as you say!"

"Never say never, princess," he grinned slyly, attempting to break the tension.

"I never _said_ never!"

"Then there's hope." His grin widened.

"Stop joking around! This is serious."

"Okay, okay, I was just trying to lighten the mood." He sighed. "Look, I know you want answers, but I don't know what happened last night."

"Well… are you attracted to me?" she asked timidly.

"I think last night made that pretty clear…"

"Do you want to do it again?"

"Like right now?! Cause I'm not feeling too hot at the moment – "

"Not right now, you idiot. Like sometime when we're not trying to keep our insides from spilling out."

"I mean… yeah? I think so. I-I had a lot of fun with you, and I don't want to speak for you, but you seemed pretty into it too." He smiled at her flirtatiously. "Am I wrong?"

"No," she said, blushing. "But… what does it all mean?"

"Does it have to mean something?"

She stared at him.

"Did it mean something to you?" he asked softly.

"I…" She sighed exasperatedly. "Did it mean something to _you_?"

"I don't know, I'm _confused_ , okay?"

"Well I'm confused too!"

"And I'm sorry for that, but you're not the one having a borderline identity crisis over here!" he blurted. "Azula, I _thought_ I was gay! And it took a long time for me to be okay with that, tell people about it, and act on it. And now, I'm more confused than I've ever been."

She nodded, trying her best to be understanding. "Sokka…" She took a deep breath. "I don't want what happened between us to be a point of confusion. I… I think I need some space from you today."

He looked up at her with hurt in his eyes.

"I'm not mad at you," she assured, "I just need some time to sort things out on my own. I know you're my bodyguard and all, but can you trust me not to run off or do something reckless, just for today?"

"Yeah," he agreed. "I trust you."

She gave him a halfhearted smile.

"I'll get out of your way, but first I'm gonna send for someone to bring you breakfast. You need to eat something."

"Blech," she groaned in protest. As soon as Sokka left her room she fell back down onto the mattress, her head spinning from the hangover as well as her racing thoughts, wondering how she was going to make it through the day.

* * *

Azula must have dozed off because she found herself jolting awake by a jarring knock at her door. "Come in," she groaned, believing it to be a servant delivering her breakfast.

"Azula!" Ty Lee greeted, bursting into the firebender's room. "Whoa, are you okay?"

Before Azula could answer, Mai followed in after the acrobat. "Hi, Azula. You… you look awful."

"Nice to see you too," the princess said sarcastically. "What are you two doing here?"

"We're here for the ball, silly!" Ty Lee chimed.

"The what?"

"The dance your brother is throwing tomorrow night to welcome the new guards and to thank the Kiyoshi warriors for their service!"

"Didn't Zuko tell you?" Mai asked.

"Why do people always assume Zuko tells me things?!" Azula groused before moaning and rubbing her head. "Guess I'm not invited. Surprise, surprise."

"I'm sorry, Azula," Ty Lee frowned, taking a cautious step over to the princess's bed. She sat down on the foot of the mattress. "Are you feeling okay? Are you sick?"

"Yeah, I'm sick all right. Sick of alcohol."

"You're drinking now?" The acrobat looked concerned.

"Alone?" Mai judgmentally added.

"Not alone," Azula scoffed, rolling her eyes. "You really think that lowly of me that I spend my free time drinking myself into a coma all by my lonesome?"

Mai took a step back toward the door. "Come on, Ty Lee. Clearly Azula doesn't want to talk to us about it."

Ty Lee looked at Mai and then back at Azula, clearly conflicted.

"Actually…" The princess broke the tension. "I would like to talk about it." She paused for a moment. "Last night… things got a little weird."

"What happened?" Ty Lee asked.

"I… kinda hooked up with someone."

"Who?!"

Azula took a deep breath. "…Sokka."

* * *

Sokka had just finished putting in Azula's breakfast order when a startling voice caught him off guard.

"Hey there, buddy," Zuko called.

"Waaaah!" Sokka spun around quickly, clutching his chest.

"Whoa, are you okay there? You look like you've been to war."

"And I feel like it too."

Zuko frowned, waiting for some sort of explanation. "Did… Azula do something to you?"

"What, no!" he answered, a little too defensively. "W-Well kinda. I mean, it wasn't really her fault, I guess I kinda initiated it, but – "

"Sokka, what's going on?"

He sighed, dreading the impending conversation. "Can we speak somewhere a bit more private?"

"Of course." Zuko led his friend to his bedroom and closed the door behind them. "So… what happened last night?"

Sokka thought for a moment, grinding his teeth while he struggled for the right words. "I really don't know the right way to tell you this, so I'm just gonna come out and say it."

Zuko raised his eyebrows.

"I might have hooked up with your sister."

"WHAT?! H-HOW _COULD_ YOU?!"

"I'm _sorry_! Please don't set me on fire."

"I'm thinking about it!"

Sokka grimaced.

"And what do you mean by 'might have'?!" Zuko questioned. "Did you or did you not hook up with Azula?"

"I-I did," he squeaked.

"And what do you mean by 'hook up'? You didn't have _sex_ with her, did you?!"

"N-No! Well, just the dry kind, but that doesn't – "

"How did this happen?!"

"I don't know!" Sokka cried. "We were drinking and playing a game, and then somehow we were making out on her bed, and then I was on top of her, and – "

"Okay, I _don't_ need specific details." The Fire Lord took a deep breath, shaking his head with disapproval.

"Clearly you're upset, understandably so. I'd feel pretty weirded out if I found out you hooked up with my sister…"

"Ew."

"Yeah. And well, Zuko, you're my best friend. And I want to keep being best friends, so if you don't want me seeing your sister in any capacity, I'll respect your wishes. Just say the word and I'll – "

"I don't want you seeing my sister."

"Well that was direct." Sokka looked down at his feet and then back up at the firebender. "But… why? Do you not think I'm good enough for her or something?"

"No, it's nothing like that – "

"Then what is it?"

"I don't want you to _hurt_ her!" Zuko blurted, staring directly into Sokka's eyes.

Sokka recognized the look, the look of a protective older sibling. "I don't want to hurt her either…"

"Sokka, you were _so_ certain when you came out to me. Without a shadow of a doubt, you said you were gay. And I… I don't want Azula to be some sort of phase for you."

"I… never thought of it like that."

"Look." Zuko sighed. "I'm going to tell you something that absolutely under _no_ circumstances can leave this room."

"Okay…"

"I'm straight, you know I'm straight, but… it's not like I've never had gay thoughts before."

"Oh really?" Sokka said, grinning. "About me? It was about me, wasn't it?"

"No."

Sokka's face fell.

"It was about Jet."

"Well that's not fair! _Everyone's_ had gay thoughts about Jet. Even lesbians have had straight thoughts about him – "

"Well that's exactly my point," Zuko cut him off. "Just because you have _thoughts_ or temptations doesn't change who you fundamentally are. And you've told me all about what happened with Suki, or, what _didn't_ happen, and how you've been slutting around with men from all over the world – "

"That's fair."

" – so what I'm saying is, I don't want what happened with Suki to happen with Azula too."

"I… I can understand that," he nodded. "You're right."

"And one more thing." He paused. "I don't think you should be Azula's bodyguard anymore."

"Yeah… I kinda saw that coming."

"You can watch her tonight, but after the ball, I'm assigning her a new guard."

"Speaking of the new guards…" Sokka smirked, "the Freedom Fighters? Really? Knowing what I know now about your _thoughts_ about Jet, I guess it all makes sense why you'd hire – "

"Now I'm really going to set you on fire."

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving! Geesh."

* * *

Ty Lee stared open-mouthed at the princess. Even the typically stoic Mai looked incredulous.

"Yes… I realize it's hard to believe," Azula muttered.

"Well yeah," Ty Lee agreed, "he's gay!"

"I don't want to ask this, but…" Mai stole a quick glance around the bedroom. "…do you have any proof?"

The firebender scowled before pulling her messy hair back behind her shoulders. "Is _this_ enough proof?" she asked, showing off her neck.

"Those are hickeys all right!" Ty Lee confirmed.

"Still doesn't prove anything about Sokka specifically," Mai added.

"Who do you _think_ did this to me? Zuzu?" Azula asked sardonically, rolling her eyes.

Mai scrunched her face in disgust.

"So… how did it happen?!" the acrobat asked.

Azula shrugged and shook her head. "We were drinking and playing 'truth or dare' in my room and one thing just kinda led to the next."

"And he was into it?" Mai questioned unapologetically. "I mean, Suki said that he couldn't even get it up for her."

"Oh, Sokka junior was working just fine last night, I assure you."

Ty Lee grinned with happiness for her friend. "So what does this mean for you two? Are you a couple now?"

"No, no, not at all." Azula sighed. "It was super awkward this morning and we haven't spoken since. We're both very confused about our feelings, and neither of us know what we want."

"He's probably much more confused than you are…" Mai noted.

"Well, do you _like_ him?" Ty Lee asked, giddy with excitement.

"I don't know!"

"How do you not know?!"

"Because, I… I never considered him to be an option. Sure, the stupid part of my brain finds him attractive, but I always kept my guard up around him because I knew he'd never see me as more than a friend."

Mai nodded. "I think the better question is, how does he make you feel when you're with him?"

Azula thought for a moment. "Safe," she smiled warmly. "He makes me laugh, and he's one of the only people I unequivocally trust."

"You _liiiiike_ him," Ty Lee teased. "Look at that smile!"

"Ugh." Azula covered her head with her hands. "What do you think I should do?"

"Just be honest with him," Mai answered.

"Tell him how you feel!" Ty Lee added.

"But… what are the odds he actually feels the same way?" Azula shook her head, chuckling to herself. "Just saying it out loud sounds ridiculous."

Mai shrugged. "You'll never know unless you tell him."

"Love is worth the risk!" Ty Lee cheered.

Azula looked contemplative for a moment. "Thank you. I… I think I know what I have to do."


	5. A Song of Ice and Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula and Sokka talk about their feelings. At the ball, Suki confronts Sokka, ruining his evening. However, someone comes along to help thaw the ice. Does a steamy night lie ahead?

Azula nearly tripped over the man sleeping on the floor outside her bedroom as she left to get some breakfast.

"Yeow!" Sokka yelped. "Oh, good morning, princess."

"Sokka?" she asked, helping him up, "Did you sleep here all night…?"

"I… didn't want to miss you." He looked around nervously. "We should talk. T-There's something I need to tell you."

"Oh?" Azula felt her heartrate pick up in giddy anticipation. "And what would that be?"

"Maybe we can talk in your room?"

She nodded and led Sokka into her bedroom, closing the doors behind them. Butterflies danced in her stomach as she wondered what he was about to tell her. "So…?"

"Yeah, so…" He anxiously bit down on his lip. "Zuko doesn't want me to be your bodyguard anymore."

And just like that, the butterflies flew away. Azula narrowed her eyes at him. "You told _Zuko_?!"

"Y-Yeah, he kinda caught me off guard – "

"And I'm guessing he didn't take too kindly to the news?" Not waiting for a response, she held up her hand. "You know what, never mind. I really don't care what Zuzu thinks."

"I'm sorry, Azula." He gave her a weak smile.

"So is that all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is that _all_ you wanted to tell me?"

"Uh, well, yeah?" His brow furrowed. "Why? Is there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, there is." Frustrated, she took a deep breath. "I… I'm not confused anymore."

He cocked his head to the side. "About what?"

She stared at him blankly. "My feelings." She looked pained, like the word 'feelings' was physically harmful to say.

"Oh." Sokka blinked. _"Oh!"_

"And I just want to be friends."

He felt as if he had been slapped in the face. "I see." For some reason his hands were shaking at his sides. "So what you're saying is that you don't have feelings for me."

"I…" Her voice was quiet. "I didn't say that."

"You said you aren't confused about your feelings for me and that you just wanted to be friends. It doesn't get much clearer than that!" His tone was harsher than anticipated.

"For someone so intuitive, you're sure failing to read between the lines," she scoffed, getting annoyed that he was annoyed.

"Then explain it to me."

"It's because of the way I feel about you that I… I don't want to lose you!" she blurted. She really didn't want to spell it out for him, and yet here she was spilling her guts. "I _can't_ lose you…"

He stared at her, unsure of how to react.

"W-What if… we continued to hook up or even started some sort of relationship, and then you decided you were bored of me or that I wasn't adequate enough, I – "

"Azula, that wouldn't – "

"You don't know that. Sokka, you were in a relationship with Suki for years, and now you two barely talk! I don't… I don't want that for us."

"I don't want that either," he said softly.

She smiled faintly. "Sokka, you're like my only friend. You're the only one I completely trust. You're the only one who makes me feel comfortable enough to be my true self. You're the only one who makes me smile – "

"You also smile when Zuko's having a bad day."

"Yes, that's true," she laughed. "Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, you're the only reason this imprisonment has been at all bearable."

"Azula, I… I don't know what to say."

"Just say we can keep being friends."

He smiled. "Friends." He extended his hand for a handshake.

She shook his hand. "Friends," she smiled back. "And I mean let's go back to the way things were before two nights ago and not make things awkward – "

"Why would you think I'd make things awkward?!"

She shifted her eyes from left to right. "You're still holding my hand…"

"Oh." He looked down at their hands. "So I am." Slowly he pulled his hand away from hers. Her skin was so soft. "So, um, why don't we get breakfast together, ol' buddy ol' pal?" He grinned at her.

She laughed. "I'd like that."

* * *

"But are you _sure_ you made the right choice?"

"Hold still!" Azula grabbed a hold of Ty Lee's chin to keep the acrobat from moving as she applied eyeliner to her face. "And yes. I'm sure."

"But what if he has feelings for you too?!"

The princess rolled her eyes. "He had every opportunity to say as much, and he didn't, thus further proving I made the right decision."

"But maybe he would have if – "

As luck would have it, the man of the hour burst into the princess's bedroom holding a tray of chocolate cake.

"Special delivery!" Sokka announced.

"Hi Sokka!" Ty Lee greeted. "Isn't that funny, we were just talking about – "

"Cake," Azula finished, shooting Ty Lee a dirty look. "We were just talking about cake."

"Well then it must be your lucky day!" Sokka set the cake down on Azula's nightstand. "I stole it from the dessert bar. I couldn't have you missing out on _everything_ , now could I?"

"Thanks, Sokka. That's thoughtful of you." Azula finished applying the winged eyeliner on her friend. "All done!"

"Oooh!" Ty Lee ran over to the mirror check herself out. "It's gorgeous! I love it!"

"Doesn't she look nice, Sokka?"

"Oh, yeah," he shrugged nonchalantly, "Very pretty." He turned his attention back to Azula. "I just wish you were coming to the ball with us too, princess."

"Yeah!" Ty Lee agreed, pouting. "Zuko's being a big meanie."

"Yes, well that's my brother for you."

Sokka and Ty Lee continued to look at her with disappointment in their eyes.

"It's _fine_ ," Azula insisted. "Having a quiet night in is just what the doctor ordered. And besides, I'd much rather be here alone than in a room full of people who hate me."

"What?!" the acrobat protested. "Nobody hates you!"

"Katara, Aang, Toph…" She paused for a moment, looking down. "…Suki."

"But Suki doesn't know about – " Ty Lee blurted before realizing her mistake and clasping a hand over her mouth.

Azula groaned.

"Nothing, n-nevermind. I was thinking of something else about someone else." She laughed nervously.

"Yes, good cover, Ty," the princess said sarcastically.

"For what it's worth," Sokka cut in, attempting to diffuse the awkwardness, "Aang doesn't hate you."

"Okay, bad example. Aang is incapable of hating anybody." Azula sighed. "Look, the point is, you guys don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine here on my own. You should go and enjoy the party!"

"Well okay…" Ty Lee smiled. "But just know that if you were coming with us, you'd be the most beautiful girl there!"

"Well, obviously," Azula agreed.

"She's not wrong," Sokka chuckled.

A faint blush filled the princess's cheeks.

"A-Anyway, I guess we should be heading over. Come on, Ty, let's leave Azula alone."

"Have fun!" the princess called after them.

Just as they were about to exit, Ty Lee turned around, shielding her face with her hand so Sokka couldn't see, and mouthed, " _He LIKES you!_ "

Azula shook her head and closed the door after her friends. Then she threw herself prone on her bed and waited for the stupid night to be over.

* * *

Sokka was in no mood to dance. Even with the jovial, upbeat atmosphere and being surrounded by his friends, he couldn't get the conversation he had with Azula earlier that day out of his head. For whatever reason he felt like he had just been dumped, and he felt ridiculous for feeling this way. It didn't make any sense. Remaining friends was probably the most reasonable outcome for them. So why was he feeling so blue?

Trying to drown his sorrows with food, he grabbed his fourth meat skewer of the night and went to town on it. He scanned the room as he stuffed his face with the delectable Fire Nation meat. Toph and Iroh were having a drink together, Haru and Kei Lo were foolishly competing for Ty Lee's attention, Aang and Katara were tearing up the dancefloor, even Zuko seemed to have convinced Mai to dance, and Suki was… Suki was… surprisingly nowhere to be found. He thought for a moment that perhaps she had decided not to come, that was until someone loudly cleared their throat directly behind him.

"Ahem."

"AH!" Sokka spun around. "Suki! You startled me."

Her face was unapologetic.

"So… how's it going?"

"We need to have a little chat," she muttered, swirling her drink in her hand.

"Uhhh… about what exactly?" He gave her an uncomfortable grin.

"Why don't you tell me?"

"I, uh, see you've um had a chance to talk to Ty Lee…"

" _Azula?_ Really, Sokka? I mean seriously, what is _wrong_ with you?! How _could_ you – "

"I don't know! I-It was just a one-time thing! We were both _really_ drunk – "

"You _told_ me you were _gay_!"

"I _am_ gay! Well at least I-I think so anyway. Maybe I just get straight when I drink or something, I don't know!"

"Care to test that hypothesis, science guy?" She offered him her drink.

"I'm, uh, not really in the mood for alcohol tonight…"

"Sokka, you _humiliated_ me. And you know what? I could forgive you, I _did_ forgive you, when I thought you were gay and I realized there was nothing wrong with me, but now that I know what you did with Azula, I, well…" Suki inhaled sharply through her nose. "Now I know the truth. That you just weren't attracted to _me_."

"N-No, that's not true! Suki, I _did_ really care about you, I still do! And nothing's changed. Azula and I are just friends. I don't know what happened that night. Ugh. I feel horrible about what I did to you. I'm _so_ sorry."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you keep saying that, but… sometimes being sorry isn't enough." She looked down at her drink.

"What can I do to make it up to you then, hm?"

She looked back up at him with cold eyes. "Well for starters, _don't_ hook up with the girl who imprisoned me in the Boiling Rock!"

"I-It won't happen again!"

"It better not." She stormed off.

Sokka sighed, bringing a hand up to his head. "I need some air," he muttered to himself.

He walked out onto the patio, but unfortunately, he wasn't alone. There was a man leaning against the railing looking up at the stars, his back toward Sokka. He considered sneaking back inside but the doors behind him slammed shut, the unexpectedly loud sound of it nearly sending him into cardiac arrest. "Spirits," he exhaled, "I'm _so_ sorry. I didn't know anyone else was out here – "

The young gentleman turned around. "Hey there, handsome."

"Oh h-hey, Jet. It's, uh, been awhile."

"It certainly has."

Sokka could feel Jet's dark eyes roam up and down his body.

"It's good to see you." Jet smirked.

"Y-Yeah, it's good to see you too." Sokka swallowed. "So… whatcha doing out here all by yourself? Didn't feel like dancing?"

"Parties aren't really my thing," he shrugged. "And besides… it's a beautiful night."

"Sure is," he chuckled nervously.

"The real question is, what are _you_ doing out here? I figured you'd be living it up on the dancefloor."

"Yeah, um, I'm… not really feeling up for dancing tonight."

"What's got you down?" Jet asked, taking a couple steps closer.

Sokka sighed. "My ex-girlfriend just chewed me out. I don't really wanna talk about it."

"Hey, that's okay. I won't pry. We could just stand here in silence if that's what you'd like."

"Oh, t-thanks for understanding."

"Or…" Jet's dark eyes flickered with mischief. "Maybe there's something else I could do to help… ease your frustration."

"Uhhh wha – " Sokka's brain short-circuited. "I, uhh, ummm, like what…?"

"You're a creative guy," Jet laughed, "I'm sure you could think of _something_." He placed a hand on Sokka's shoulder. "All I'm saying is, I'd be happy to lend a friend a helping _hand_."

"I see," he whispered, his heart pounding. "That's, ummm, well you see, I-I'm not sure – "

"You know, I haven't had a proper tour of the palace yet. Maybe you would be so kind as to show me around." He gave Sokka a wolfish grin. "Perhaps we could start with your room. Whaddya say?"


	6. Making a Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Sokka and Jet get reacquainted the night of the ball, Azula gets a surprise visitor. Sokka and Azula end up in an unexpected competition.

"Whew," Sokka exhaled with a satisfied smile, fastening his belt.

"Feeling better?" Jet smirked.

"Much," he chuckled. "Thanks, I-I needed that."

"Any time."

"You mean it? Cause… I'll definitely take you up on that."

Jet laughed. "Well that depends. Even though I technically have your old job, Zuko doesn't seem too eager to kick you out of the palace. Do you think you'll stick around?"

"I don't know." Sokka shook his head. "I have no idea what I'm doing with my life. All my friends seem to have everything all figured out, but no, not me – "

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't spiral. I don't think you're quite ready for round two yet."

Sokka laughed.

"For what it's worth, I think you should stay."

"You do?" he asked, blushing. "And why's that?"

"Could be fun," Jet shrugged, smiling coyly. "Maybe we could do this again sometime."

"What? You give me a handjob next time I'm in distress?"

"That or… maybe more. Or who knows? Maybe next time you'll even return the favor…"

"I'd like that." He smiled. "So… should we head back to the party?"

"Yeah, you go on ahead. It would be strange if we showed up at the same time, right?"

"Oh yeah, good point. Gossip does tend to spread pretty quickly around here…" Sokka stole a quick glance in the mirror to check for any signs of suspicious activity. "Okay then, I'll meet you there."

"See you soon."

They both left Sokka's room, however, only one made it back to the party. The other had a pitstop to make along the way…

* * *

Azula had just finished getting ready for bed when she heard someone knocking at her door. Normally a disturbance at this late hour would have annoyed her, since usually it was Zuko making an unwanted appearance, but thinking it to be Sokka leaving the ball early because he missed her, a soft smile spread across her cheeks. She opened the door, caught off guard by the unfamiliar, handsome face on the other side.

"Good evening, Princess."

Azula noted that the young man did not bow to her.

"I hope it's not too late. I wanted to catch you before you went to bed – "

"And you are?"

"Oh, I'm your new bodyguard." He extended his hand. "The name's Jet."

"Oh, so _you're_ the infamous Jet," she said, shaking his hand. "Your reputation precedes you."

He smirked. "I suppose I could say the same about you."

She returned the smirk. "And what exactly are people saying about me these days, hm? That I'm evil? Crazy? Tyrannical, perhaps?"

"I may have heard something along those lines," he shrugged, "but people have said similar things about me too. And I've learned you can't trust everything you hear."

"How sage."

"I've also heard you're a prodigy firebender… and remarkedly beautiful. You're even more beautiful in person, if I may add – "

"And I've heard you're quite the charmer," she cut in.

He laughed. "You're a straightshooter. I like that. So what else have you heard about me?"

"That you hate the Fire Nation, particularly firebenders, which begs the question of why you'd take a post in the Fire Nation royal palace of all places…"

"You've got me there," he said with a chuckle. "Sure, I _used_ to hate the Fire Nation, but that's all water under the bridge now."

She raised an eyebrow.

"That's actually one of the reasons why I'm here, to make amends so to speak. Well that and your brother practically begged me. Guess he felt bad for turning me in to the Dai Li all those years ago and wants to make it up to me. Fancy palace living in exchange for some late nights keeping the fair princess safe? It's not much of a choice if you ask me. Let bygones be bygones, right?"

"Ah, I see. So this was the magnanimous, merciful Fire Lord Zuzu's idea," she groaned, rolling her eyes.

"While I _am_ grateful for the opportunity, I do find it cruel that Zuko wouldn't allow you to attend a party in your own home. Especially when you never even did anything wrong."

Azula opened her mouth, freezing in place. "What did you just say?"

"You never did anything wrong. During the war, you were fighting for your nation, as would be expected of the princess of the Fire Nation. Sometimes you have to do some morally objectionable things when you believe you're fighting for the greater good. I've been there… I nearly sacrificed innocent Earth Kingdom civilians just to take out a few Fire Nation soldiers. And as for the whole Kemurikage thing… you were just trying to dispel the New Ozai Society and set Zuko up to be an effective leader."

She was silent for a moment as she processed his words. "No one's ever said that to me before," she whispered. "Everyone… has always seen the worst in me…"

"I know the feeling." He laughed. "Even to this day, Katara _still_ doesn't trust me. She always thinks I have some ulterior motive for everything I do. All her self-righteousness and moral policing sure gets annoying."

"Katara _is_ annoying! I don't understand why everyone likes her so much."

"Right?"

Azula started laughing. "I like you, Jet. I think you and I are going to get along just fine."

"I like you too, Azula."

Her cheeks reddened.

"I, uh, don't mean to be too forward or cross any boundaries or anything, but… would you care to dance?"

"R-Right now? Right here?" She paused. "With you?"

"Well yeah," he chuckled. "I mean, it would be unfair if everyone else got to enjoy the party while you're stuck here alone in your room, now wouldn't it?"

"I suppose you're right."

"Well then, shall we?" He offered her his hand.

Smiling, she took it, letting him escort her inside her bedroom, firmly kicking the door shut behind them.

* * *

_The following morning…_

"Good morning, sunshine!" Sokka announced like the emcee at Earth Rumble, barging without invitation into Azula's room. He realized he should have probably knocked to give her some warning, but fortunately she didn't seem bothered by his sudden intrusion. To the contrary, the firebender seemed quite content. She was sprawled out on the floor doing some yoga stretches in a sunbeam in the middle of her bedroom.

"Good morning indeed," she smiled.

"You seem well-rested."

"Well, unlike the rest of you delinquents, I wasn't up all night."

"Yeah," he chuckled, "we're all getting a pretty late start this morning. Speaking of… the chefs are preparing brunch for the group. Would you like to join?"

"No thanks." She moved from child's pose up into downward facing dog. "I've already had breakfast."

Realizing he was staring at her ass, he quickly shook his head to snap himself out of it. "W-Well you don't have to eat anything, you could just sit with us."

"Sokka, I appreciate the invitation, but your friends don't want me to join them, and I don't want to ruin their good time."

"Aw, come on. How are you ever gonna get them to accept you if you don't even try?"

She sighed.

"And I'll be there to jump to your defense if necessary. You can count on me!"

"You know what?" She stood up from her pose and turned around to face Sokka. "Sure, why not? Let's throw caution to the wind."

"Wow, really? I thought I'd have to do a lot more convincing than that."

"What can I say? I'm in good spirits this morning." She grinned.

"I can see that…" He looked at her suspiciously. "Did… something happen last night? I think I would have known by now if you put laxatives in the food or something – "

She laughed. "Why yes, as a matter of fact, something _did_ happen last night." She took a few steps forward, evidently giddy. "I met someone."

His stomach dropped. "What? H-How? When?!"

"I had a male visitor last night. And we kissed." She smirked slightly as she studied his face.

"Who?! Who was it?!"

"My new bodyguard. Jet. I believe you know him – "

"Yeah, I know him!" His voice quieted. "I know him quite well…"

She narrowed her eyes at him.

"W-Well, when did this happen exactly?"

"I don't know, it was pretty late…"

That's when Sokka put it together, the timeline of events. His hands balled into fists. "That _bastard_!"

"Sokka," Azula said, taken aback by the outburst, "why are you getting so angry? We said we were just going to be friends, right?"

"We _are_ just friends," he snarled.

"Then why are you upset?"

"Because!" He sighed exasperatedly. " _I_ was with Jet last night."

She blinked. "Come again?"

"Jet and I spent some alone time together last night, and well…" He smirked. "…we did a little more than just kiss."

"Slut!" she shouted, livid with rage.

Sokka opened his mouth but no words came out.

"Yeah that's right, I said it. You're a man-slut."

" _Now_ who's the one getting angry?" he taunted. "I thought you said we were 'just friends'."

"We _are_ just friends!"

"And besides, if anyone's the slut here, it's Jet." He gritted his teeth. "That smarmy snake-rat. I know exactly what happened. Ugh, I could wring his neck."

"Care to enlighten me?" she asked bitterly.

"I guess after we were done, well, you know – "

"Actually I don't, but we can skip those details."

"Right… well after we finished, I said we should go back to the party. And he said it would be suspicious if we arrived at the same time so I left without him. He must have gone straight to your room right afterward. I could kill him, I really could – "

"Obviously we need to confront him."

"Yeah!" he initially agreed before thinking about it. "Wait… why would we do that?"

"To show him that he can't play us like this, and…" She smirked slyly. "…to find out which one of us he likes more."

"You can't be serious."

"What, are you scared?" she teased.

"No! Jet made it pretty clear he wanted to see me again," he boasted. "I'm just surprised you're still interested after what he did."

"Well, we really hit it off," she said smugly, trying to rub it in his face. "And who knows? Maybe he changed his mind about you after spending some quality time with me."

"You wanna bet, little missy?" he challenged, getting right up in her face.

She stood up on her tip toes, squaring off with him, glaring directly into his blue eyes. "I'll take that bet."

"You're on!"

For a moment they stood there staring at each other, seething in silence. Azula's heartrate spiked as she realized how close their mouths were to each other. Sokka's eyes flickered from her eyes to her mouth and then back up to her eyes. He'd be lying to himself if he said he didn't think about kissing her. Just as soon as the dark compulsion inside of him nearly made him follow through with his desire, Azula broke the tension.

"So, what are the terms?"

He exhaled, backing off. "You know what, Azula? I don't want to bet. Instead, I'd like to make a deal."

"I'm listening…"

"Let's make a deal that no matter what happens with Jet, we don't let it ruin our friendship."

Slowly, she nodded. "Deal." She smiled, extending her hand.

"Good." He shook her hand. "I don't want Jet to come between us."

"Are you sure about that?" she asked suggestively.

"Well…" he laughed, feeling heat fill his cheeks.

Azula smirked.

"L-Let's go get brunch," he stuttered, changing the subject. "I heard the cooks are making some delicious hotcakes."

"That sounds lovely."


	7. Loyalty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Azula and Sokka confront Jet, the tables are turned back around, leaving them left with an important decision to make. Sokka gets some unsolicited advice from his friends.

"Jet," Sokka said with a commanding tone, placing his hand on the boy's shoulder as he followed him down the hallway.

"Hm?"

Azula came up to Jet's other side, linking arms with him so he'd have nowhere to run. "We need to talk."

"Am I in trouble?" Jet asked uneasily.

"You tell me." Azula led them into Jet's room, slamming the door shut behind them.

"What did I do this time?" he chuckled.

Azula crossed her arms. "Did you hook up with Sokka last night?"

"If by 'hook up' you mean unreciprocated hand stuff, then yeah…"

"And then did you and Azula kiss right afterward?" Sokka questioned.

"Well that wasn't the intent when I went to her room, but yeah, that happened."

"And what exactly was your intent?"

Jet shrugged. "I just wanted to introduce myself before it got too late. I thought it was the polite thing to do since we were going to be spending some time together. The kiss was just an added bonus."

Azula fought a smile, but she couldn't hide the flushing of her cheeks.

Sokka frowned.

"I'm getting the impression you think I did something wrong… what would that be exactly?" Jet continued.

"You don't think it was, I don't know, _misleading_ to hook up with both of us on the same night?!" Sokka demanded.

"No."

Azula and Sokka shared a look and then glared back at Jet.

"We're all single here. None of us are in committed relationships, right?"

"Right…" Sokka answered while Azula narrowed her eyes.

"So what's the big deal? Is it my fault I find you both _very_ attractive?"

"N-No, but who's to say there weren't others?" Azula questioned.

"There weren't, I swear! It was just you two. And it's not like I planned on any of that happening. Look…" Jet sighed. "I like you both, and I'd like to get to know both of you better. It's just human nature to be attracted to more than one person at the same time, isn't it?" He smirked. "I mean, Azula, don't you find Sokka attractive? I mean, come on, look at him."

Flustered, Azula stole a quick glance at Sokka. "I, well, um – "

"And Sokka, I know you're not really into girls, but you can't deny Azula's beauty, can you?"

"Yes, she's very beautiful," Sokka muttered.

"See? So can you really blame me? Besides…" Jet took a step closer, placing an arm around each of them. "…I was kinda hoping the three of us could get together sometime…"

Azula and Sokka exchanged panicked looks, both red in the face while trying to read the other's mind.

"I mean I-I guess, that's something to, um, well you see, I don't know – " Sokka stuttered.

"N-No. I don't think that's a good idea," Azula whispered, her mind spinning.

"Yeah, y-you're right. We can't do that," Sokka reluctantly agreed.

"Aw, that's a shame," Jet purred. "The way you two kept looking at each other at brunch, I thought this was a sure thing."

"W-What?! We weren't looking at each other!" Azula denied.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?" Sokka asked, exasperated.

"You guys just have some sort of strange… energy or something," Jet laughed. "If I didn't know better, I'd think you two already hooked up."

Azula and Sokka laughed nervously.

"Anyway, I can't say I'm not disappointed, but I'm not here to make anyone feel uncomfortable. I like you both, I'm pretty sure I've made that clear, and I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. So… if you're still interested in me, I hate to say it but you're gonna have to choose between yourselves."

"You're joking, right?" Sokka asked derisively, knowing full-well Jet was loving this attention.

"I'm afraid not. Seems like the only fair way to move forward."

"Let me tell you something, Azula and I are _not_ going to – "

"Make a decision right now," Azula cut in. "Sokka and I need to discuss. Right, Sokka?"

Sokka exhaled sharply through his nose. "Fine."

And with that, Azula and Sokka went to Sokka's room to carry on their conversation.

* * *

The door was not even fully shut before Azula spoke up. "So, obviously I get to keep seeing Jet, right? We're in agreement?"

"What?! No, I don't agree to that!" Sokka disputed. "I was gonna say that neither of us should get him."

"Hm." Azula cocked her head to the side. "Well that seems like a lose-lose situation to me. Actually, it's more of a lose-lose-lose situation because Jet would be missing out too."

"Okay, well if _that's_ how you want to play it, then I think _I_ should get Jet."

"And why's that?" she challenged.

"Because he was my first crush. My gay awakening, my agaykening if you will."

Azula rolled her eyes.

"It would be romantic, wouldn't it? Like everything came back full circle. Besides… I kinda owe him one…"

"Handjobs aside… I think I'm the more deserving party here."

"Why? Because you're the _girl_? Because if that's the case, then that's pretty – "

"No, you idiot. Get off your high horse," she scoffed. "I think I deserve Jet because… these opportunities are few and far between for me." She grew pensive. "Boys don't… typically like me."

"Azula…"

"I've never had a real boyfriend before… and you've already had like a million so – "

"One-night stands," he interjected. "Not boyfriends. And not a million!"

"The point still stands."

He sighed. "I guess I can understand that. But Zuko would never allow it."

"What makes you say that?"

"Ehhh…" He froze for a moment, thinking of how Zuko had forbade him from potentially starting something up with Azula. "Just older sibling intuition."

She eyed him with suspicion.

"Well… it seems we're at an impasse, milady."

"Yes, it appears so…"

"So what do we do now?" he asked.

"Let's… sleep on it. Maybe we'll have some more clarity in the morning."

"But it's only like mid-afternoon…"

"Well I didn't say we had to sleep on it this very second, ugh! You're infuriating sometimes, you know that?"

"So I've been told."

"I'm going to go train for a bit," she muttered, turning toward the door.

"Azula, wait." He gently grabbed her arm, turning her back toward him.

"What?"

Slowly he reached for her face, trailing his fingers through her hair.

She swallowed, her heart racing in her chest.

"You had something in your hair." He pulled back his arm and flicked something onto the floor. "It was just a fuzzie."

"Ugh." Azula crossed to leave his room.

"You're welcome!"

* * *

Sokka had only been sulking on the edge of his bed for about five minutes before his door was unexpectedly thrown open.

"There you are, Snoozles!"

"Oh, hey Toph."

"See, I told you he was hiding from us," she said to Aang and Katara, who followed in after her.

"I wasn't hiding!"

"We were just about to go for a walk in the royal gardens," Aang said. "Do you want to come with us?"

"I don't know…"

"Sokka, why have you been acting so strange?" Katara asked, concerned.

"W-What?! I haven't!"

"Yes, you have. At the ball you were acting all aloof and grumpy up until you did a complete switch out of nowhere and then danced like a maniac. And you and Azula were acting weird at brunch, like you're hiding something."

"He _is_ hiding something," Toph sneered. "I can feel it. He's sweating bullets."

"I, uhhhh, well…"

"What's going on, Sokka?" the waterbender questioned.

"You can talk to us." Aang looked worried. "About anything."

"Fiiiiine, I'll tell you," Sokka groaned. "But let's go outside first. Away from prying ears."

The four stepped out into the sunshine, making their way over to the royal gardens.

Sokka took a quick look around to make sure they were alone.

Aang was first to break the ice. "So, what's going on?"

"I, ummm, I seem to have gotten myself into quite the pickle." Sokka scowled.

"What did you do this time?" Katara asked with a know-it-all tone.

"I can't _wait_ to hear this!" Toph grinned.

"Well you know how I've been serving as Azula's bodyguard?"

Katara scoffed. "Yeah, that must be a nightmare."

Sokka ignored her. "Well… we've actually gotten quite close."

"That's great!" Aang smiled. "Azula sure could use a friend like you."

"Yeah… that's, uh, true." Sokka swallowed. "But the thing is… we sort of did something that crossed the friendship line."

"Oh no, Sokka, you _didn't_!" Toph was beaming, rejoicing in the chaos about to ensue.

Katara clenched her jaw, her blue eyes nearly bulging out of her head.

"Yeah, we may have hooked up. Please don't hate me!"

"Busted!" Toph cheered.

Aang looked confused. "But… I thought you were – "

"YOU IDIOT!" Katara shouted, smacking his arm. "YOU COLOSSAL IDIOT!"

"Why is everyone calling me that today?!" Sokka cried.

"Because sometimes you act like one. Sokka, how could you _do_ this?! With _her_ of all people?! After everything she's done! Don't you remember what she did to Aang?!"

"Of course I do! But…" Sokka shrugged. "She's changed – "

"And how could you do this to Suki?!" Katara continued, shaking her head with anger. "If she found out…"

"She already knows."

Katara stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Azula told Ty Lee. Ty Lee told Suki. I'm actually surprised Suki didn't tell you…"

"I guess someone had the common courtesy not to ruin our visit," Katara muttered.

"Sweetie," Aang comforted, putting his arm around her.

"You've been awfully quiet about this," Katara snapped at her fiancé. "What do you think?"

Aang sighed. "I know this isn't what you want to hear, but… I've forgiven Azula. And I think it's about time you do too."

"Are you serious?!"

"I agree with Twinkle Toes," Toph cut in. "Besides, Sokka's a grown-ass man. He's allowed to put his dick in whoever he wants."

Katara looked physically ill.

"W-We didn't go _that_ far!" Sokka added.

"Good," Katara spat. "Don't."

"So what does this mean for you?" Aang asked. "Are you still… gay?"

"I don't know!" Sokka threw his hands up with exasperation. "But it doesn't matter anyway… Azula said she just wanted to be friends."

"Wow! Who'd have thought Azula would be the one to have some common sense," Katara said sardonically.

"Too bad, Snoozles. I think you and the fire princess would make a cute couple."

Katara glared at Toph.

Sokka stopped walking and looked at the ground. "It gets a little more complicated than that…"

"Oh no…" Aang grimaced.

"Oh yes," Toph grinned, rubbing her hands together.

"Last night…" Sokka took a deep breath. "I may have spent some alone time with Jet."

"HAH! This is the gift that keeps on giving!" Toph beamed.

"Spirits, Sokka! Don't you know how to keep it in your pants for two seconds?!" Katara judgmentally chastised. "And why Jet?! He's such an asshole."

"A _hot_ asshole, but yes, an asshole nonetheless." Sokka paused. "As soon as Jet was done with me, apparently he went to Azula's room and kissed her."

Toph burst out cackling.

Katara's face scrunched up. "Ew."

"And now Azula and I are in some sort of standoff over who gets Jet. Ugh, I don't even know how we ended up like this!" Sokka sighed dramatically. "Help me, please. What should I do?!"

"Just keep on making bad decisions!" Toph gave him a playful slap on the back. "Your sexcapades always make me feel way better about myself."

"I think you should follow your heart," Aang advised with a light smile.

Sokka looked over at his sister who had been quiet. "Katara?"

"There's a really easy solution to this." Her features softened as she began to let go of her anger. "Come home with us."

"What?"

"Just… leave. Let Azula and Jet have each other and come spend time with your friends and family. We all miss you – "

"It's true," Aang chimed in. "It's not the same without you."

"And Dad… he could really use your help right now," Katara continued. "Plus you and Suki could work on your friendship and maybe make amends…"

"That _would_ make things a lot less awkward," Aang solemnly noted.

"I… I don't know." Sokka shook his head. "I don't know if I could just leave them."

"If you really care about Jet, or Azula," Katara said under her breath, "then wouldn't you want them to find happiness together?"

Sokka was quiet for a moment. "I guess I never really thought about it like that."

"Well consider it, okay? We're leaving in a couple days."

"Okay." Sokka sighed with relief. "Thanks for letting me get all that off my chest, you guys. I feel a lot better now."

"Aw," Toph pouted. "There goes my entertainment."

"You just thrive on my misery, don't you?"

"You know it!"

* * *

"Hey there, beautiful," Jet purred, taking a seat across from Azula in the dining room.

"Jet," she smiled, "to what do I owe the pleasure? You know your guard duties don't start until dusk…"

"I know. I just saw you were finishing up dinner and I thought I'd offer you a little dessert." He smirked.

"You bake?"

"Oh no. I meant I come bearing good news."

"Good news pairs well with chocolate, you know…"

"Duly noted," he laughed. "So… I just talked to Sokka."

Azula raised an eyebrow.

"And he said that you and I would make the better match. He's backing out."

"Oh!" Her brow furrowed with confusion. " _Oh…_ "

"Isn't that great?"

"Yeah, that's… that's excellent news." She smiled, though still unsure why Sokka would admit defeat so easily. "Did Sokka have anything else to say?"

"Oh yeah, something about your friendship meaning a lot to him and he just wants to see you happy, blah, blah, blah, I don't know, I wasn't really listening."

"I see…"

"Hey." Jet looked at her with concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I… I just got really lightheaded all of a sudden. Probably overdid it with my training today."

"You should lie down. Let me walk you to your room." He offered her his hand. "Just so you don't pass out or anything."

"Thanks." She let Jet escort her to her bedroom.

"I hope you feel better."

"Thank you, me too."

"Let me know if there's anything I can do to help, okay?"

"Actually… if you happen to see Sokka again… can you let him know I'd like to speak with him?"

"Sure thing, princess." He smiled softly before giving her a kiss on the cheek.

Azula returned the soft smile and closed herself inside. With a sharp exhale, she leaned her back up against the door and let herself slide down to the carpet. Shaking her head, she whispered to herself. _"What the fuck?"_


	8. First Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula and Sokka have a badly needed talk in the privacy of her bedroom. You can fill in the blanks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't like smut, you should probably skip this chapter. If you do like smut, then this chapter is for you ; )

Three quick taps at the door was all the warning Sokka gave the princess before peeking his head inside her room. "Azula? You, uh, wanted to talk to me?"

"Yes, come in," she said, getting up from her bed. She walked deliberately over to him.

"Good, cause there's something I wanted to talk to you about too – "

"How could you give up so easily?" she derided, staring him in the face.

The harshness of her tone filled Sokka with dread. "W-What, you mean with Jet?"

"Mmhmm."

"Are you seriously upset with me?! Now you get to have him all to yourself. I thought that would make you happy!" he shouted back at her.

"I _am_ happy!" she snarled.

"Then why are you acting like you're mad at me?!"

"I…" She paused, breaking eye contact. "I don't know."

"Azula," he sighed. "Look, there's… something I need to tell you." He paused. "I'm leaving."

She gazed up at him, expressionless.

"I'm leaving the Fire Nation. I'm gonna go back home with Katara and Aang."

"Sokka…" She was quiet. "If this is about Jet, you can have him. I… I'd much rather have you two be together and you stay in the palace than you leave…"

"This isn't about Jet. Though, admittedly the thought of you two together makes me feel sick."

"It does?"

"Well, yeah. Don't you feel the same way when you think about Jet and me together?"

She shrugged. "To be honest, I've never thought about you two together…"

"Well think about it!"

Tilting her head up to the left, she began to imagine their relationship together. A sly smirk spread across her face as her cheeks reddened.

Sokka was surprised and slightly amused at her reaction. "Okay, bad example," he chuckled.

"So if it's not about Jet, then why are you so dead-set on leaving?"

"I…" He took a deep breath. "I guess I'm having trouble sticking to our deal. I really shouldn't be telling you any of this."

"Tell me what?" she demanded.

"That I… I can't get you out of my head! I-I think about you all the time. At the ball, all I wanted to do was to dance with you." He studied her face but couldn't decipher her expression. "Say something, won't you?"

"So… what does this mean? Y-You're just giving up? Friendship over, just like that?"

"It's not what I want…"

"Then what _do_ you want?" she asked sternly.

"You!" he blurted. "Obviously you. Against all odds, I want _you_."

"Well, I want you too!"

"Well then why are we standing here yelling at each other?!"

"I don't know!"

"Damn it, Azula." He leaned in and kissed her hard on the mouth, clasping her cheeks to pull her close.

Grabbing a hold of his tunic, she slipped her tongue into his eager mouth.

Hands rushed to explore each other's bodies as they continued to passionately make out in the center of the room. Azula's hands roamed all over Sokka's chest and arms as he traced along her feminine curves.

Soon Azula found herself forcing Sokka up against a wall, pushing her body flush against his, not allowing him any room for escape. Not wanting to relinquish control, he snaked a hand up the back of her head and gently pulled on her hair, earning a rewarding moan in response.

Breaking the kiss, she threw her arms around his neck and hoisted herself up such that her legs were wrapped around his waist. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. His hands instinctively went to grab her ass in order to support her weight, not that he was complaining about getting to grope those soft cheeks.

"Take me to the bed," she purred, her voice beckoning.

He smirked. "As you wish, princess." Kissing her ravenously, he walked her over to the bed where he threw her forcefully onto her back on the mattress.

"You savage," she gasped through a naughty smile.

"You have no idea." He pounced on top of her like a wolf about to feast upon its prey, ardently capturing her lips with his.

"Ohhh," she moaned, feeling his lips begin to wander down her neck. She instinctively pushed her hips up to meet his as she felt his hot tongue lap at her sensitive skin. Feeling the bulge inside his pants grow with every roll of her hips only further served to intensify the pleasure building inside of her.

He kissed up and down her neck, licking, biting, and sucking at her soft skin, grinding his growing erection between her legs. His lips trailed down her collarbone until he reached the fabric of her nightrobe. "This needs to come off," he breathed against her skin. " _Now_."

"Then take it off me."

In one swift motion, he pulled the knot holding her robe together and spread the fabric open. His eyes roamed hungrily all over her body, focusing primarily on her full breasts.

"Like what you see?" She smirked up at him, trying her best to mask her insecurities, knowing full-well that this was about the part when Sokka had bailed on Suki.

"You are so fucking hot," he growled before grabbing her breasts and shoving his face between the soft mounds, flicking his tongue up and down her cleavage.

"I'll take that as a yes," she sneered, reveling in the feeling of him going absolutely nuts on her breasts. A guttural groan escaped her lips as she felt his mouth on her hardened nipples.

He sucked those hardened peaks, giving both breasts equal attention as he ground his pelvis into her mattress like a horny teenager. Not even fully aware of what he was doing, he soon found himself kissing lower and lower down her abdomen, letting his tongue roam down her taut stomach. When he got to her underwear, he slipped a finger inside, toying with the hem as he teased her with his tongue on her lower belly.

"Sokka," she breathed, "you know you don't have to – "

"I know." He grinned up at her. "I want to. Unless you don't want me to – "

"No, no. By all means."

"Okay, but quick disclaimer… I have no idea what I'm doing."

She laughed, "Well that makes two of us."

"Great! Now that I've lowered your expectations…" He smirked as he slowly slid her underwear down and off her legs. "…where was I?"

Her cheeks flushed as she watched his head disappear between her legs. "H-Holy fuck," she exhaled, gripping the sheets at her side. She had never experienced such pleasure before. The sensations were maddening.

Unfamiliar with female anatomy, Sokka was forced to rely on reading her body language to figure out what felt good. Fortunately, Azula was an open book in that regard. He loved feeling her hips rise and fall as he licked her, the little gasps and groans she emitted, the way she ran her fingers through his hair. He never imagined in his life he'd ever go down on a girl. It surprised him how much he enjoyed it, the taste, the scent. The more he licked her the more he thought about how much he'd been missing out.

"Ohhh, ohhhhhh," she moaned, dipping her head back, her hips rolling with urgency.

He licked her clit from side to side, pausing periodically to suck on the swollen gem when his tongue began to tire. If the erratic jolts of her hips were any indication of the pleasure he was giving her, he'd say he was doing a pretty damn good job. He continued to thrust his hips against the mattress as he ate her out, growing progressively more frustrated by the restriction of his clothing on his aching erection. All of a sudden, he felt her legs squeeze tightly around his head as she forced her pelvis up to meet his face.

"Spirits, Sokka!" she screamed out in ecstasy, scratching all the way across his back.

He continued to lick her slowly, letting her ride out the waves of her orgasm until she recovered her breath. "So, how'd I do?" he asked with a cocky grin before wiping his mouth.

She smirked. "I… I want you to fuck me."

His heart nearly stopped, his eyes widening. "That good, huh?"

"Come on, Sokka. _Fuck_ me," she begged.

"Your wish is my command." He had never shed his clothes faster in his life.

Her eyes raked down his chest to the massive erection jutting out of his pubic hair.

"See what you do to me?" he growled before positioning himself back on top of her.

She gave him an impish smirk before pressing her lips to his.

He let his erection slide down her stomach, down between her legs, but just as soon as he was about to fuck her blind, a sudden realization made him stop in his tracks. "Shit… I-I don't have protection. Do you?"

"No… don't you have some in your room?"

He shook his head. "Never needed it." He was so frustrated he could punch a wall. "I've always just taken it up the ass."

Azula looked at him judgmentally. "You're still supposed to use – "

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm also a stupid boy."

"No argument here," she teased.

"Um, it's okay, it's okay. W-We can just do something else." His mind was racing. "I have an idea."

"And what's that?"

"Do you have any lube?"

"What do you think?" she asked wryly.

He laughed. "Okay… well in that case… do you think you could, uh…" He looked down at his cock. "…you know. J-Just to make it wet. I won't nut in your mouth or anything."

She rolled her eyes. "How thoughtful," she said before positioning herself on her knees in front of him. "I'm open to constructive criticism by the way."

"Good to know," he smiled. And then he watched his cock vanish inch-by-inch inside her hot, wet mouth. "Unnngh," he exhaled, bracing himself from collapsing by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Y-You're a natural."

She continued to suck him, taking him in and out of her mouth again and again.

"So good, Azula," he whispered. "Just like that." He went back and forth between watching the beautiful naked girl on her knees to closing his eyes to focus on the pleasure.

When her mouth began to feel sore, she used her tongue to lick all the way up his impressive length, loving the feeling of his cock twitch when she got to the tip. And then she started sucking him again, this time a little bit faster.

"I-I'm gonna have to stop you there," he said breathlessly, pushing her shoulder back. "I'm close."

"What now?" she smirked.

"Get on your stomach."

Her eyes widened.

"Don't worry, I-I'm not gonna stick it in your ass."

"You'd better not," she muttered before rolling onto her stomach.

"We can talk about that later," he joked, getting on top of her.

Before she could come up with a witty reply, she felt him slide his erection down the small of her back, settling on her ass right in between the cheeks.

Slowly, he began to rock his hips, grabbing onto her waist for support.

Azula was surprised at how good this felt for her. Every time he pushed his hips forward, her clit rubbed against the mattress, and soon she found herself rolling her hips along rhythmically with his. "This doing it for you?"

"Oh yeah," he panted. "This is _hot_. Does it feel good for you? Cause… I think I can make it feel even better." He reached a hand around her front, sliding his fingers between her legs.

"Ohhh," she moaned, feeling his nimble fingers beginning to vibrate.

"You like that?"

"Mmhmm," she hummed, picking up the movements of her hips as she rubbed herself against his hand. "Don't. Stop."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he grunted, vibrating his fingers faster against her hot skin, sliding his hard cock back and forth between her cheeks.

She clutched her pillow, squeezing her eyes shut as the pleasure built inside of her with every desperate thrust of her hips.

Before long he felt her legs begin to shake and he knew she was close. The feeling of sending her over the edge was turning him on even more. He fingered her even faster, his hand spasming beneath her. He didn't even care how sore his wrist was, he just wanted to get her off.

"OHHHHH SPIRITS!" she screamed into her pillow with final jolt of her hips hard against his hand. She struggled to catch her breath as the waves of white-hot pleasure raptured her entire body.

He repositioned himself on his knees, firmly gripping her waist, digging his nails into her skin as he rocked his hips with urgency. He watched his own cock, slick with her saliva as well as his own precum, slide up and down her toned ass cheeks, loving the way her skin rippled as he rubbed himself against her. With just a few more quick, erratic jolts of his hips, he came all over her back, moaning out involuntarily. "Holy shit," he whispered through a lazy smile, his breath ragged.

Azula turned her head to the side, resting it on her pillow with a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Nice," Sokka self-congratulated, admiring the splotchy artwork he had left on her back.

"Clean me up, won't you?" she asked dryly.

"Of course. Just, uhhh…" He began untangling the mess of clothes on the floor. "…let me get my pants on."

"Fine."

After quickly dressing, he gave her a kiss on the cheek, which was still flushed. "I'll be right back." He quietly left her room and sharply turned into the hallway.

"Looking for this?" a voice called from behind.

"GAHHHH!" Sokka jumped in place and spun around. He saw Jet holding a washcloth. "J-Jet! Are you _trying_ to kill me?!"

"I was trying to be helpful…"

"I, uh, guess this means you heard everything, huh?" he grimaced, awkwardly scratching the back of his head.

Jet laughed. "I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, but… this is technically my first night on the job."

"Oh boy." Sokka looked down at his feet. "I sure hope Azula doesn't find out about this."

The two young men froze in place as they heard a shriek from inside the bedroom. _"YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"_

Sokka scowled. "Sounds like she heard."

"I'd say so."

He stammered for a second, pointing at the door. "I, errr, uhhh, I'm gonna – "

"We can talk after you guys get cleaned up." Jet handed Sokka the washcloth.

"G-Good idea." Sokka scampered back inside, tail between his legs. "So… you'll never guess who I just saw…"

"Sokka, this is _humiliating_!"

"Yeah… it's not great. But for what it's worth, Jet didn't seem to be too upset."

"Well that's good."

"Still, I feel like we probably owe him an apology." He sat down on the mattress next to her and washed the mess off her back.

"Yeah… you can handle that on your own."

He laughed, bending down to grab Azula's sleep robe off the floor. "Here," he said, handing her the silky garment.

"Thanks." She slipped it on.

"Guess we should probably talk to Jet…"

"Fiiiine."

"Jet, you can come in!" Sokka shouted.

"These walls are too thin," Azula muttered under her breath.

Jet entered the room and closed the door behind him. "Hello, lovebirds," he teased.

Azula gave him an uncomfortable smile.

"Look, Jet…" Sokka sighed. "We're both _really_ sorry – "

"Don't be."

Azula and Sokka looked at each other confused and then back at Jet.

"It's fine. Really. I _thought_ there was something going on between you two," he chuckled. "No hard feelings."

"Well, _that_ was easy," Azula remarked.

"Just… keep me in mind if you're ever looking for a third." Jet smirked.

Azula blushed. "W-Will do."

"R-Really?" Sokka asked the princess. "That's on the table now?"

She shrugged. Sokka grinned.

"So… what does this mean for you?" Jet asked.

"What, whether I still consider myself gay or not?" Sokka answered. "Because I'm – "

"No, not that." Jet shook his head. "Why are you so eager to put yourself into a box anyway?"

"What, you don't label yourself?"

"No. I consider myself to be Jet. I like what I like," he shrugged. "I guess you can say I like the wine, not the label."

"Hm… I like that."

"Well good. But what I meant before was what does this mean for you two? Are you official?" he pried, sneering.

Sokka and Azula exchanged panicked looks.

"I guess we need to talk about that," Azula replied.

"Well, I'll get out of your hair." Jet turned for the door.

"Thanks for being so understanding," Sokka squeaked, "and uh, let us know if there's anything we can do to make things up to you."

"Actually…" He turned back around. "The Kyoshi warrior girl… what's her deal?"

"Which one?" Sokka asked.

"The perky one with large breasts?" Azula added.

"No. She's not my type," Jet answered. "The one with short auburn hair and eyes that seem to change color…"

Sokka's eyes widened. "Suki?"

"She's single," Azula chimed in. "You should ask her out."

"Hm." Jet nodded. "Maybe I will." He left the room.

Sokka sighed. "So…"

"So…"

"Weird night, eh?"

"I'll say." Azula looked down at her lap. "Definitely didn't end the way I would have liked it to…"

"Well maybe we can change that," he smiled.

"How?" she asked, looking up at him warmly.

"Look… I…" He took a deep breath. "I really like you, Azula. And I've gotten some not-so-subtle hints that you may like me too…"

"Perhaps…"

"So, whaddya say?" He took her hand and gazed into her eyes. "Be my girlfriend?"


	9. Sokkla is Painful for Zuko

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka makes a big announcement to his friends. Zuko finds a new way to punish Azula.

"So let me get this straight," Zuko said with a flat tone. "You two hooked up but then decided to just be friends, and then you both separately had a thing with Jet which set off a competition for him, but you ultimately decided that neither of you wanted Jet, you wanted to be with each other, and now you're standing here in my room holding hands and expecting me to give you my support?"

Sokka and Azula exchanged smiles and then looked back at the fuming Fire Lord.

"That about sums it up," Sokka answered with a confident nod.

"Well you _don't_ have it!"

"Zuzu, please," Azula scoffed, rolling her eyes. "There's no need to be so dramatic."

He ignored his sister, turning all his attention to the friend he was currently considering writing off. "What ever happened to, 'Zuko, you're my best friend and if you don't want me dating your sister then I _won't_!'?"

"Ew, you asked for his permission?" Azula asked Sokka with disapproval.

"Yes, and I regret that now."

"So what?" Zuko angrily shrugged. "Your word meant nothing?"

Sokka sighed. "I meant it at the time, but then I decided to follow the advice a wise Avatar once told me: follow my heart – "

"Wise Avatar?!" Zuko cut in with a sardonic laugh. "You mean the one who just spent the last three months trying to teach Appa to tap dance?!"

"Hey, Appa's made some improvements! He's got fancy feet!"

Zuko sighed melodramatically, covering his head with his hands.

"I don't get why you're making such a big deal out of this, brother." Azula pouted. "It's almost like you _want_ me to be unhappy or something… oh wait, that's right, that's exactly what you want!"

"Now who's being dramatic?" Zuko challenged.

Azula glared at him.

"And it _is_ a big deal," he continued. "This changes everything. Now I have to rethink the entire bodyguard arrangement and the best way to help with the situation up north."

Sokka spoke up. "Well I can help you with – "

"And _this_ ," Zuko interrupted, pointing at the new couple's joined hands, "or any public displays of affection _cannot_ legally happen in front of me."

"Legally?" Azula laughed, mockingly. "What are you going to have me arrested? Again?"

"Separate _now_!" he demanded.

Sokka and Azula let go of the other's hand and scootched a foot away from each other.

"You know what? Not good enough. Azula, you're dismissed. I need to talk to Sokka alone."

Sokka gulped.

"Fine. You're unpleasant to be around anyway." Azula shot her brother a dirty look before leaving his room.

"Can I just say real quick before you go off on me, how sorry I am for going back on my word?" Sokka squeaked apologetically. "I know this news can't be easy for you. T-That's why we decided to tell you before we told everyone else."

"Relax. I'm not mad at you."

"You're not…?"

"No. I'm just under a lot of pressure right now." Zuko took a deep breath. "The entire world expects me to keep Azula in line, but everything I do just seems to backfire with her. Clearly giving Azula a bodyguard was a huge mistake. I mean first you, then Jet – "

"And you're probably pretty jealous about the Jet thing, am I right?" he teased.

"No!" Zuko shouted a little too defensively. "Well, I don't know. Maybe a little." He chuckled.

Sokka laughed.

"I guess I just never foresaw any of this happening. Especially with you."

"Well I didn't see it coming either!"

"I think I just have to get used to the idea of you two together."

Sokka smiled.

"But let me make one thing clear." Zuko's eyes turned dark. "If you break her heart, I _will_ destroy you. Got it?"

"Got it," Sokka yipped, straightening his posture.

"Either she dumps you or you marry her."

"Isn't it a little too early to be talking about – "

Zuko shot him down with a harsh glare.

"I mean, um." Sokka cleared his throat. "You'd really be okay with the possibility of me marrying your sister one day?"

"Well…" Zuko looked down, embarrassed. "That _would_ make us brothers-in-law."

"Awww, bro!" Sokka exclaimed, throwing his arms around the sulking Fire Lord.

"Okay, okay." Zuko gave him a quick hug back. "That's enough."

* * *

"Hey, Sokka's here!" Aang greeted upon seeing his wolf-tailed friend enter the dining room.

Toph scrunched up her nose. "I thought I smelled something funny."

"Har har." Sokka took a seat at the foot of the table, next to his girlfriend who already had a plate prepared for him.

"Is everything okay?" Katara asked her brother. "You're not usually late to breakfast."

"I had some, ummm – "

"Tummy trouble?" Toph guessed, smirking.

" – issues to settle with Zuko. Which reminds me… I-I have an announcement to make." Sokka stood up from the table. "Katara. Aang." Looking at his friends, he sighed. "I won't be coming home with you tomorrow. I've decided to stay in the Fire Nation – "

"But didn't we agree – " Katara interrupted.

" – because… Azula and I decided to give the whole boyfriend/girlfriend thing a shot."

"Hey that's great!" Ty Lee cheered, smiling from ear to ear.

"Yeah, way to go, Snoozles!"

"Congratulations," Mai nodded.

"You make a good team," Aang said quickly under his breath, not wanting to upset his fiancée.

Katara was quiet for a moment, seemingly frozen in place. "What's everyone staring at me for?!" She looked at the opposite end of the table. "Suki? _Jet?_ Do you have anything to say about this?"

"I already knew," Jet replied.

"And I don't care," Suki said, smiling coyly at Jet.

"Oh great, so _I'm_ the only one who has a problem with this?!" Katara huffed.

Sokka quickly sat back down.

"No, Zuzu's pretty upset too," Azula smirked. "But that's just icing on the cake."

" _You_ stay out of this," Katara barked at the firebender before turning her attention to her brother. "And what, are you suddenly not _gay_ anymore?!"

"Katara…" Aang placed his hands on her shoulders in an attempt to soothe her wrath.

"I decided not to put a label on it," Sokka shrugged. "I like Azula and that's that. Don't you want me to be happy?"

"Of _course_ I do! You know I want what's best for you, but – "

"But _what_?!"

"But Azula can't be trusted," Katara snarled. "For Spirits' sake, she hasn't even acknowledged what she did to Aang!"

"Azula has done more than enough to – "

"It's okay, Sokka," Azula cut in. "She's right." She looked over remorsefully at Aang and took a deep breath. "It's years too late, but I truly am sorry for hurting you during the war. For what it's worth, I'm really happy you're alive. And you know I mean this because I _never_ apologize."

"It's true," Mai added.

"Apology accepted!" Aang smiled, reaching across the table to shake her hand.

Azula returned the smile, shaking the Avatar's tattooed hand.

"Well that's great, but you still haven't won me over," Katara muttered.

"Hey, let's toast to the new couple!" Ty Lee celebrated, holding up her tea mug.

The rest of the group followed suit, minus Katara and Suki who held onto their mugs begrudgingly. But before Ty Lee could continue, Zuko stepped into the dining room.

"Hey, Zuko!" Aang called. "Just in time!"

"Celebrating something, are we? Well not so fast."

Everyone solemnly put down their mugs, except Ty Lee who took a sip.

"What? I'm drinking anyway."

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "That's just tea…"

"Yeah, Iroh's _special_ tea!" Toph grinned.

"The tea leaves are fermented," Mai whispered to the Fire Lord.

"Yes… I am well aware of Uncle's special tea." He shook his head. "Anyway… there are going to be some big changes around here. So long as everyone agrees to them."

The group waited for him elaborate.

"First, I would like to ask the Kyoshi warriors to resume their original posts as bodyguards in the royal palace."

Ty Lee smiled. "Works for me. That way I'll get to spend more time with Mai and Azula!"

"Whatever you need, Zuko," Suki graciously agreed.

"Thank you," he acknowledged. "I would also like to ask Jet to stay in the palace, as an invited guest."

"Why…?" Mai asked suspiciously.

"Because after everything the Fire Nation put him through, he deserves to live in luxury for a bit."

"I'm not gonna argue with you there," Jet said smugly.

"Good. Now as for the situation up north," Zuko continued, "I've already asked the rest of the Freedom Fighters for their support in case the conflict gets ugly again, and they've agreed to help."

"That's great, Zuko, but…" Aang looked concerned. "…I think we're going to need more help than that. Hakoda is still recovering from his injury – "

"Yes, I've thought of that, and I have come up with a solution I hope will work for everybody." He paused for dramatic effect. "As of today, I'm officially ending Azula's house arrest." He flashed his sister a mischievous smile.

Azula crossed her arms. "What's the catch, Zuzu?"

"You will accompany Aang, Katara, and presumably Sokka to the South Pole where you will aid in amending the relationship between the sister tribes. You will respond directly to Katara, who will act as your direct supervisor. I may not be able to keep you in line here, but I know Katara certainly can."

Azula's mouth fell open as Katara smirked.

"Katara, do you agree to this?" Zuko asked.

"With pleasure," she sneered.

"Excellent." Zuko grinned triumphantly, turning to Azula. "House arrest was clearly not working out, and I honestly couldn't think of a better punishment for you than sending you to the freezing tundra."

"Yippee," Azula groaned sarcastically, rolling her eyes. "Looks like I'm _finally_ part of Team Avatar."

"Welcome to the – " Aang started before Katara cut him off.

"Not so fast. You'll have to earn it." Katara smiled softly at Azula.

The princess smiled back at her.

"Well if everyone's happy with these changes…" Zuko quickly poured himself a cup of tea. "…then let's toast to the new couple." He held up his mug. "Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

* * *

"So… how do you feel about moving to the South Pole?" Sokka asked, watching Azula frantically pack her suitcase.

"I have _nothing_ to wear!"

"Hey, we can buy you some perma-winter clothes when we get there."

"Okay…"

"Well, I'm excited to show you around," he smiled. "You'll finally get to see where I grew up, though, it looks quite different now with all the renovations."

"Looking forward to it," she said quietly.

"Really? Because… you don't seem like it."

"It's not that," she sighed. "I _am_ excited about seeing where you grew up, and I'm definitely thrilled to be leaving the palace, but… I don't know, I guess I'm just nervous."

"About what?" He looked at her with concern.

"About meeting your family. Your dad, your gran-gran… what if they don't like me?"

"Azula…" He got up and placed his hands on her shoulders. "They're gonna love you. You have nothing to worry about."

"It's just… I've never been part of a loving, stable family before, and I don't want to mess things up."

"Well you've certainly managed to win me over, and even Katara seems like she's warming up to you – "

"Verdict's still out on that one."

" – and once my family sees how happy you make me, they'll welcome you with open arms, I just know it."

She smiled warmly up at him, gazing into his blue eyes. "Okay… just, don't let me freeze to death down there, you got it?"

"Azula, Azula," he laughed, wrapping his arms around her and giving her a big bear hug. He rested his head on top of hers. "With me by your side, I'll always be there to keep you warm."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you SO much for reading my story!! If you liked it, please let me know by leaving a kudos and/or a review :D Happy Sokkla Saturdays, everyone!


End file.
